I Will Follow You Into the Dark: For Terra and Aqua
by shattered melodies
Summary: 'He was about to deliver the final blow. And that's when I realized…' Aqua finds The Lingering Will in The Keyblade Graveyard and all her memories - and feelings - come rushing back.


**I Will Follow You Into The Dark**

_For Terra and Aqua_

_'He was about to deliver the final blow. And that's when I realized…'_

I never thought I'd live to see this world again. The barren wasteland known as The Keyblade Graveyard has not changed in the eleven or twelve years that past since my last visit. The thought arose a chuckle out of me; neither have I. I haven't changed in the slightest. I still have messy, layered blue hair with matching blue eyes, light, porcelain skin, and a tall yet slender build. I haven't even aged - no new wrinkles or matured features. My body still harbors the same blue and grey suit of armor that protected me many years ago.

"Hey, Aqua," The short waterfowl quacks beside me, his black eyes darting up to look at me. Donald was his name, Donald Duck. Magician for King Mickey.

"Yes?" I respond, twisting my head. All Donald sees of me is this armor. He can't even look me in the eyes.

"Are you sure he's here?" We come to a stop when we hit a cliff, the four of us. Donald and I were also accompanied by an upright dog named Goofy, a knight for the King, and an adolescent Keyblade wielder named Sora. He - they - found me by an ocean shrouded in darkness. My life must mean something if I have come back to this place. I know what I must do.

"Yeah, he's here. I can feel it." I close my eyes, and it all flashes before me. Xehanort, Vanitas, Ven, Terra, and I… We were all fighting. Even just standing here, I can feel my body smash into the rocky earth, my helmet forever ruined. I feel myself colliding with Ven's frozen being when he fell hundreds of feet. Xehanort measly dropped him. Ven would've died if I wasn't there, and now his heart lies comatose within the Keyblade wielder standing next to me. I barely was able to bring Ven to safety, and I couldn't do a single thing to save...

"Aqua?" This time, Sora was calling my name, even putting his hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm just remembering the last time I was here. I'm fine."

"What was it like? You know, in the before time?" My lips parted as a giggle escaped. The 'before time.' Before he knew about the Keyblade, he means.

"In a word, intense. The darkness, it almost got us." There's sudden solemn and disappointment in my voice as I lift my head to gaze at the cloudy purple sky. It's still light out but it won't be for long. The sky will soon blacken, creating a vast emptiness. As I stared, I could see Xehanort parting the skies to bring a glowing Kingdom Hearts into view, its baby blue rays shining down on a lowly world.

"The darkness?"

_'What is darkness… but hate and rage?'_ My own voice rings in my mind. That brief moment between Terra and me, if I only knew it was our last together. I wouldn't have been so bitter. I would have…

"Hopefully you won't have to see what we saw. Let's go." We travel in silence, our feet kicking up the dirt and dust that lay still on the fissures. We don't dare speak; the slightest sound could break our concentration.

"Why are you here?" The sound of metal against metal echoes through the desert, causing all of us to freeze. It isn't human; it isn't robotic. The voice wasn't able to completely enunciate his words, and yet, we understood it just fine. It almost sounds like a person's inner consciousness.

"What was that?" Goofy asks, holding up his large shield to his chest. Only his eyes peered above it. A wind picks up all around us, trapping us inside an orange, chained field. We were no longer in the Keyblade Graveyard. The ground remained the same except for a single Keyblade. It was archaic, a bit rusty, with sickly dark green skin and faded yellow edges. Something, or someone, hid behind the Keyblade.

"Who are you?" There was ferocity, anger, and even a touch of pain when the voice spoke. But where was it coming from?

"W-Well, I'm not sure we should tell yah!" Goofy answers. The harder I look, the more I could make out what was behind the weapon. There's a helmet with two red prongs. Unlike mine that fell behind me, they stand straight up like antennae. There's also a body of armor to go with the helmet, and it's colored a faded gold and maroon. Perhaps someone was inside. He raised his head, staring at us.

"I can feel it… Keyblades…" The metallic voice was starting to get to me. The way it rang in my ears was giving me a headache. "There's two… here…" Donald and Goofy jumped in front of Sora and me, their arms - short as they may be - elongated horizontally.

"What do you want with the Keyblade?" Donald yelled, a slight hiss radiating from his beak. For a moment, the man behind the armor was silent. He seemed focused on Sora and…. me. He stared at my armor as if he was trying to place where he knew it.

"Keyblade…" He utters, bringing his feet together and rising to meet us, his gold cape fluttering in the breeze. Only three meters separates us from him. "Show me your strength, Keyblade Wielders." With unbelievable speed, he had Sora and me on the ground. Neither of us see him move, and now we're on our backs. Quickly and without my consent, I'm pulled under into unconsciousness, the darkness swallowing me whole. _'What power…'_

It's the strangest thing. My memories are flooding my mind.

The Mark of Mastery exam; I became a Keyblade Master and my best friend, Terra discovered the darkness within him.

_'The darkness… Where did it come from?'_

Radiant Garden; After Terra, Ven, and I were reunited after months, we argued, leaving Terra to storm away.

_'You mean, you've been spying on me? … Forget it, I'm on my own now.'_

_ 'Terra, please! Listen! The Master has no reason to distrust you, really - he was just worried!'_

Even here in The Keyblade Graveyard. Just before he was taken from me.

_'I was told… that the Master was struck down.'_

_ 'Yes, that's right. I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it. … Xehanort set the whole thing up, all so he could awaken the darkness inside me.'_ He sought forgiveness from me. _'You were right, Aqua, and so was the Master. I did need to be watched. I went astray - but no more.'_ What did I say in response to him?

_'What is darkness… but hate and rage? Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you, making you fight. You'll go astray again. Tell me, how does that honor our Master's memory, Terra?'_

The more intimate memories of Terra and me come into fruition, overwhelming my mind as I relive them once more. There are the little memories of the two of us training in the meadow with the metal rings. We'd spar often, honing each other's skills until we could predict what the other was going to do next. Sometimes when we were exhausted, we'd call it a day and watch the sun set from the cliff. We would lean back against our hands, and they'd occasionally brush one another. He would tell me secrets or whatever was crossing his mind at that moment, and he'd always lean in to whisper in my ear. I never minded, of course. The little things he did were always unique, whether it was the way he smiled or his laugh or how he activated his armor. His armor… it was gold and red. Just like…

My eyes shot open. I jumped to my feet and quickly observe my surroundings. Donald and Goofy are in the distance, unmoving and still, with no weapons by their sides to protect them. Sora is battered and bruised, the Keyblade, while not in his hand, settled beside him. The man in the suit hovers over him, his own Keyblade in hand above their heads. He was about to deliver the final blow to Sora. The defeated Keyblade warrior closes his sapphire blue eyes as a way to peacefully enter the other world; he saw no other alternative or outcome.

"Xeha…nort…" The man utters the name. "Xehanort!" His Keyblade rushes downward and that's when I realized just who the man in the armor was.

"Terra!" Metal clings against metal as my helmet flies off into oblivion. His Keyblade shattered my protective headgear as we fall back a couple meters. I guess the spear I delivered to his torso was more powerful than perceived.

"Aqua… be careful… He's too strong…" Sora manages to whisper to the wind before exhaustion collapses his consciousness.

"Terra, what do you think you're doing?" I yell, gritting my teeth. He doesn't respond; he just looks to the earth below him. "It's you, isn't it?" I ask a moment later, asking the question delicately. My breathing picks up as I slowly step toward him. With every step that I take, I can feel adrenaline release into my bloodstream. Small strands of my hair massage the skin on my face in a slow rhythm. My metal gear seem to creak louder and louder. The man I presume to be Terra doesn't respond until I'm immediately in front of him. I reach out to take off his helmet, but before I can, he takes my hand in his, even interlacing our fingers.

"A..qua…" The voice is less metallic, igniting hope in my gut. My eyes, without my permission, widen as my mouth parts a few millimeters. "Aqua…"

"You're alive! I had thought that Xehanort got you-"

"Xehanort!" It becomes more metallic, spewing anger and irrationality as he yells to the sky. "Must kill…Xehanort!"

"Terra, calm down!" My hands grab his shoulders before he can start thrashing. "What happened between you two?" He looks at me as his armored glove then grazes against my cheek, nearly freezing my skin. What a strange notion for him to be doing; I instinctively take a step back. But suddenly, we're gone. The world surrounding us is white as snow but as warm as the sun. My armor evanesces; it no longer holds down my body. And neither does his. In front of me is Terra; no armor - just him. His large, fleshy hand is touching my face where his glove was just a second ago. It took every fiber in my entire being to resist wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace. Terra's right in front of me; I wasn't staring into the helmet of a stranger anymore. Instead of hugging him, my hand finds his free one as my lips curl into a grin. Here he is in front of me after so many years, and he, too, hadn't aged in the slightest. He's still the same person from before, with blue eyes, peachy skin, and brown hair.

"Aqua," He says my name with his own, deep voice. How I've longed to hear it again. My grin must have doubled in size, if that was possible. The muscles in his face relax as he, too, can't hide a small smile.

"Terra!"

"You wanted to know what happened between Xehanort and me, right? It's best you hear it from me, and not just…" The smile vanishes so quickly as his head hangs low, shaking it slightly. He can't even look at me anymore.

"Okay."

"…He took my body, Aqua."

"What-?"

"Xehanort sent Vanitas after you and Ven, threatening to kill you and merge with Ven. I couldn't hold the darkness back after that; my hate and anger just got the better of me. He forced it to fester and consume me so he could claim me as his vessel. He took his Keyblade, released his heart, and…" He takes a second to exhale. "He took my heart; he took my body… Only my mind remains now. There's nothing in my armor; no flesh, no blood, no body."

"Terra…"

"I hate him, Aqua. He took almost everything from me. I was left in this world to rot, and as he was able to run off and leave the worlds in such an awful shape. This is my fault…"

"Don't blame yourself." There's an adamant, strong tone in my voice. Where did this come from? Terra looks at me almost startled, his eyes searching for answers in mine. "Everyone has darkness in their hearts. You know that. Xehanort merely took advantage of what was inside yours. Don't blame yourself when Xehanort is the real bad guy here."

"Aqua…" He snorts lightly. "You're right."

"What do you say, then? Let's get this guy!" I smile to show some reassurance. I turn to leave, but Terra grabs my arm. As I look back at him, he can't look at me again.

"Just in case anything should happen, I need to tell you something."

"Tell me what?"

"You and Ven…. you two are the only reason why I still even somewhat exist." When he finally looks up at me, there's something in his blue eyes that I never saw there before. He looked at me… pleadingly. My facial expression relaxes as I wait for him to continue. My own heart, I can feel it yearning to touch his. It's bashing and clawing against my rib cage, begging for freedom. "I promised you… that I would set things right some day." I lose all control of myself. Before any of the salty tears from the corner of my eyes can fall to their end, I leap forward, my lips catching his. My hands are on his cheeks, pulling him closer to me. I'm desperate and hold no desire to let him go. I need this moment with him. Just the two of us. His arms make their way around my waist as his lips meet mine with a surprising gentleness.

"You idiot…" I say when I finally let his lips go, chuckling a bit. "Stop trying to do so much on your own."

"I have you?" He asked.

"Of course. You're stuck with me." The light consumes us, and the orange cage we were locked in become The Keyblade Graveyard once more. The image of Terra is gone, replaced by his suit of armor. My own armor returns to my body as well. Terra walks to Sora's unconscious body and casts Curaga over him, healing green leaves restoring the Wielder to full health. Upon seeing Terra, Sora jumps back with his Keyblade in hand.

"Looking for a fight, pal?" He says bitterly. Terra merely shakes his head before going over to Donald and Goofy. "Hey, what are you-!" Before he could protest, Terra uses Curaga on the magician and the knight, and they come to.

"We're back!" Donald says, almost surprised.

"A-hyuck, thanks to… the man in the suit?" Goofy questions, scratching his head. I walk toward them with Sora.

"Aqua, your helmet-!" Sora looks at me, mouth agape. I don't think they've seen me without my gear on.

"It's fine. Guys, this is my… my friend, Terra."

"Wak!"

"You're friends with this guy?!"

"He's a childhood friend. He can help us end Xehanort."

"If he doesn't end us first." Donald said, glaring at Terra and crossing his arms. Terra is clearly unfazed as he stands there silent.

I shoot Donald a dirty look before speaking again. "Don't talk about him that way; he's not a bad guy!"

"Then why'd he attack us?"

"I had to get you guys away from Aqua so I could talk to her in peace. Maybe I wasn't thinking clearly." Terra's real voice comes through, shocking us all. The four of us take a step back and we inhale sharply. "I'm sorry." He turns quickly to glance behind him. "Xehanort's close by. I can feel it."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get him!" Donald says, pointing his staff in the air before taking off full speed with Goofy behind him.

"Let's finish this battle, guys." Sora nods, following Donald and Goofy. Just as I was about to go as well, Terra takes my hand but remains silent.

"Let's get go your body back," I said, smiling like everything was going to be all right.

"Stay with me," was all he could say.

"Oh, Terra," I sighed. "I'd follow you into the dark, if the situation came to."

* * *

**Hello, all! :) I hoped you enjoyed it. I haven't written anything in like, a month, so hopefully it's somewhat good. Who doesn't love Tequa! Haha. Don't forget to favorite/review for me, by the way!**


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